Kanarys is transforming the Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) landscape across the business world. What once seemed like a novel idea for recruitment and retention has now become a core priority for organizations globally. As companies realize the importance of fostering inclusive work environments, Kanarys has emerged as a key player in driving these vital changes. However, despite their ambitious vision, the company faced a significant roadblock with their technology partner. Slow progress, lack of transparency, and strained collaboration hindered Kanarys from reaching its full potential. Enter ISHIR, ready to not only rescue the project but also supercharge Kanarys’ growth and impact.
- Human Resources (HR) & Talent Management
- Innovation Accelerator, Custom Software Development, Dedicated Teams
The Project
The Background
Kanarys is on a mission to transform the Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) landscape by providing businesses with data-driven insights that help them create more inclusive workplaces. However, despite their groundbreaking vision, their previous technology partner was failing to deliver the expected results. Slow product releases, lack of transparency, and poor collaboration were hindering Kanarys’ ability to innovate and scale. Faced with these challenges, Kanarys turned to ISHIR to conduct a thorough stack assessment and rescue the project. ISHIR committed to not only resolving the existing issues but also optimizing the product development process to accelerate speed, increase transparency, and ensure reliable feature releases, ultimately positioning Kanarys to achieve its mission and grow at the pace it needed.
The Challenges
1. Stalled Product Roadmap
Kanarys’ product roadmap had come to a halt. Without timely releases of new features, the company’s growth and impact were at a standstill. The lack of progress meant that Kanarys couldn’t deliver the essential D&I tools their clients needed, thereby stalling the entire organization’s trajectory.
2. Lack of Transparency and Slow Processes
The collaboration between Kanarys and its prior technology partner was strained. The slow pace and lack of transparency meant that Kanarys had no visibility into the development process. Without clear communication and updates, key stakeholders couldn’t track progress or identify bottlenecks, resulting in an inefficient, frustrating workflow.
3. Manual and Error-Prone Releases
The incumbent technology partner deployed updates manually, a process that was both slow and prone to errors. Each feature release took an excessive amount of time, causing major delays. Additionally, manual processes often led to bugs and inconsistencies that further slowed down the release cycle, making it impossible for Kanarys to meet their publishing goals.
4. Inability to Scale
The existing approach simply couldn’t scale with Kanarys’ growing needs. With product releases only happening sporadically, it became clear that Kanarys needed a system that could quickly adapt and release updates at scale. They needed automation to speed up the process and increase reliability while reducing errors and manual intervention.
Project Goals
Accelerate Product Development
Streamline Kanarys' product release cycle by automating processes, enabling weekly feature releases to meet client demands faster.
Enhance Transparency and Collaboration
Improve communication and visibility across teams, ensuring real-time updates and proactive problem-solving.
Automate and Streamline Processes
Eliminate manual, error-prone steps in the product release process by implementing automation for efficiency and reliability.
Build a Scalable Solution
Design a solution that allows Kanarys to scale effectively, supporting future growth and evolving product needs in the D&I space.
The Process
Comprehensive Technology Stack Assessment
ISHIR began by conducting a thorough technology stack assessment and due-diligence process. This included obtaining necessary certificates, access passwords, keys, and evaluating the incumbent code base to understand the root causes of Kanarys' challenges.
Dedicated ISHIR Product Team
A dedicated ISHIR product team was allocated to work exclusively with Kanarys. The team’s focus was to refine the existing backlog, resolve outstanding issues, and create a clear path forward to accelerate progress and meet Kanarys’ objectives.
Addressing Pain Points with Prior Partner
We focused on addressing Kanarys’ primary pain points with their previous partner: speed and transparency in DevOps. By evaluating these areas, we identified key solutions to overcome these challenges and deliver better outcomes for the company.
Implementation of CI/CD Workflow
To overcome the speed and transparency hurdles, ISHIR moved Kanarys to a Continuous Integration/Continuous Delivery (CI/CD) workflow. This shift allowed for near real-time publishing of new features and updates, drastically improving both delivery velocity and transparency.
Ongoing Feature Updates and Flexibility
With CI/CD in place, Kanarys now enjoys full visibility and control over their product updates. They can rapidly add, adopt, or tweak features in response to partner requests and market needs, enabling continuous innovation and fast adaptation.
Value Delivered
By dramatically improving feature delivery timelines and ensuring continuous visibility into their product, Kanarys has seen a significant increase in converting sales conversations into major deal wins. Large clients are now able to provide timely product feedback, and with the rapid implementation of new features, Kanarys and ISHIR can quickly meet client needs, securing valuable business. As a result of these wins, Kanarys has experienced a surge in capital raises, with their increased publicity and access to funding growing significantly in the last two quarters. Without the enhanced platform and product capabilities provided by ISHIR, these major victories and opportunities for growth may not have been possible.